Another possible addition to the "Summary of Best Advice Received" Members' Activity

This sub-topic is something I seldom do, so Ipersonally will have next to nothing to contribute.

Suggest we leave this wide open to those who are experienced. Post anything related to the topic, I will sort it later.

The only thoughts I have for possible contributions are:
- reading waves
-reading land structure to find places to fish
- line use (floating/intermediate/fast sink....I know both members who fish all of them at some point and some who swear by just one of them..............when/why etc.?
- sighting??????
- tide choices or what technique to use at what part of the tide?
- presentations

OK...as you can see, I know little...justwanted to give ita start. All of the above are things that I personnally don't know.
Thanks,
Ron

Stripers like the "wash" ... on a steep beach the wash is literally where the land and water meet. I had a 30 incher swim behind me when I waded 5 feet from dry sand into 18 inches of water - taught me a lesson that paid off later that day!

As far as I'm concerned, the sweet spot in the tide is when water coming over the bars is starting to break with some gusto. At this point there's plenty of water in the travel lanes, there's turbulence that confuses bait, but it's still early enough so that there's plenty of time before the water get too wild to be fly rod friendly.

Sinking lines have their place, but only if you're actively stripping. Otherwise the currents are in control. When you want to dead drift or even hold stationary, mending with a floating line is best. No worries about your fly sinking to the fish's level if mended properly. A long rod helps to lift your line up over the breakers.

Great start!!! Maybe I will venture more often to "the dark side" and fish some surf
I for one, really have a lot to learn re beach and surf....my doing this type of fishing is primarily in the Fall in RI...chasing diving birds down the beach and looking for bait and fish shadows in the 1st wave with RI 's South orientation.
Maybe after this thread..I will have a clue and be more successful when the weather heats up and the flats are dead. It will beat blind casting or fishing blind....whichever is more true
Ron

I'll go on if it's okay. I don't want to hog the discussion, but I get jazzed just thinking about fishing the surf.

The most important thing to remember about fishing the surf is to never, ever turn your back to the water.
Waves come in sets, often in a series of 7, and just when you think that you're safe to turn and retreat, here comes the big one.

Reading the water is nearly as important as in trout fishing and low tide is the time to check the structure.
The single most productive area is likely to be a fairly deep bowl along the shoreline that faces a break in the outer bars.
This is where you can expect to have a longshore current turn and exit or even two apposing currents meet and funnel out through the bars. Lots of turbulence, lots of current passing through an area like this. Breakers on their way in get knocked down a bit here too so that it's (somewhat ) easier to fish

Dudley...hog and get jazzed up all you want....if you or others have info...please continue to share...can't create a good reference guide without contributions. Plus selfishly...I want to be able to catch a fish somewhere other than on a flat if need be and I am sure that I am not alone.
Ron

Mung... The best structure for holding bait and attracting game fish is "up north" in Wellfleet and Truro. This is also where the mung first hits the outer Cape and collects in the holes and between the bars. As you travel south from Eastham to Orleans to Chatham the water is less and less effected

I like a full sinking line in heavy surf or when the wind is way up. The thin full sink will cut through both wind and waves. Just don't use it in conjunction with a weighted fly as you'll be dragging your fly through the sand on every cast.

Which leads to sharpening..... carry and use a file. Your hook point is going to be in contact with the bottom regularly so check it after every few casts. As you move is a good, giving you time to survey the next "hole"

It's important to keep in contact with your fly. You need to be able to feel resistance when you strip.
If you can't feel it, try a weighted fly such as a Clouser or one with a muddler style head that "pushes" water

When it comes time to land your fish.. It ain't easy. So hopefully you have a stout leader.
As the surf breaks, clamp down on the line and back-up and let the fish be pushed up on the beach as you pull. The retreating wave will attempt to pull it back. Hold steady until the next wave and do it again and then again until you're able to grab the fish without going for a swim. Remember that it's better to loose the fish rather than bust your rod..... or a rib

Dudley, Jalthoff and Juro...great info and thanks.
One question (maybe a stupid one)....are there any aditional special fly presentation tips for say...sighting a fish in a wave (lead?, just strip, let it sink? etc)...or fish in the suds......steady retrieves in promising areas...bottom bumping?
I have seen some guys cast out and continue to let more line out and just let the fly bounce or stay in the turbulance.............the reason I ask the 3 of you is that either others who surfbeach fish have not yet had a chanceto contribute or we just don't have many members who surf/beach fish (me included )...if the later...the 3 of you are IT.
Maybe the answer to my question is obvious..ie. just cast and strip....I really don't know.

Ifyou have more info..please add to what you have already posted....not just what Iasked above...anything that would help a novice or less experienced member like me.
Some info youmayhave not shared because it is very elementary to you...it is not however to the novice or to someone like me who does it very infrequently.

I will let this thread run its course for a week or so then categorize/summarize as done on the other related threads.
Thanks,
Ron

[QUOTE=Paxton] are there any aditional special fly presentation tips for say...sighting a fish in a wave (lead?, just strip, let it sink? etc)...or fish in the suds......steady retrieves in promising areas...bottom bumping?
/QUOTE]

I have caught very few stripers blind casting in the surf, but that is probably because most of my surf fishing is focused on sight casting. Much easier to convince the wife to go for a long beach walks where I just happen to have my fly rod in my hand. Works (for the relationship) as long as I keep talking while I scan the incoming waves for movement/shadows! More productive of course when I go by myself and concentrate on specific areas, but if we're walking, say, on Nantucket's South shore in the right tide and light, there's plenty of opportunities during the walk to find fish!

For sight casting, I tend to cast 10 feet or so in front of the fish to give the fly time to sink to fish level, and let it sit until I know the bass is within 2 - 3 feet of it. Then I do short strips until I see the bass turn on it, and then longer strips so it looks like the fly is speeding up to escape.

Sounds simple, of course, and I fail more often than I succeed, but when it works, it's quite a rush!

Alot of people overlook the water right in front of you.Try casting parallel to the beach and swing [let the wave] fly right up on the beach then let the wave pull it back into the trough.Also when the wave breaks and runs up the beach cast as the wave retreats so the wave also pulls the fly back into the trough.This will not dull the hook point as quickly.Do not overlook the outer beaches right now.The seals aren't around and the fish are scooting up the outer coast now.My thoughts on this is the fish run up to Nantucket and hit Monomoy so they never go into Nantucket sound.My largest[measured,I kept the fish] was 44" on Longnook beach in Truro on May 15th.I know some taken were bigger but don't count because they weren't measured.This went on for 3 evenings in a row from 6-9pm.It's also happened to me along Nauset in years later at about the same time.

Alot of people overlook the water right in front of you.Try casting parallel to the beach and swing [let the wave] fly right up on the beach then let the wave pull it back into the trough.Also when the wave breaks and runs up the beach cast as the wave retreats so the wave also pulls the fly back into the trough.This will not dull the hook point as quickly.Do not overlook the outer beaches right now.The seals aren't around and the fish are scooting up the outer coast now.My thoughts on this is the fish run up to Nantucket and hit Monomoy so they never go into Nantucket sound.My largest[measured,I kept the fish] was 44" on Longnook beach in Truro on May 15th.I know some taken were bigger but don't count because they weren't measured.This went on for 3 evenings in a row from 6-9pm.It's also happened to me along Nauset in years later at about the same time.

Longnook beach is by far my favorite backside beach,this place has more structure, long shore bars, cuts and gullies.Before they started to shut down most of the beaches for off road driving this was the area my Dad,brother and I would head to during the comm. rod and reel seasons.Many memories and large stripes came from this area.There's some excellent info posted here not much more I can add,if there is anything of input I can offer is fishing the backside with a 2 hander enables you to back out of the bone crushing waves and vicious taking sand out from around your feet backwash from receding waves.If you find an area with this backwash that empties into a trough where a longshore bar has been split and washed away get to the side of it and fish it like the current of a river,the fish will be in the hole just past the bar.